Clinical study of cetuximab combined with radical radiotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE

To observe the efficacy and side effects of cetuximab combined with radical radiotherapy in the treatment of sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and to investigate the underlying mechanism of cetuximab.

METHODS

62 patients with locally advanced sinonasal SCC diagnosed in our hospital from January 2013 to January 2014 were enrolled. Cetuximab and radical radiotherapy were simultaneously given to patients in the combination group, while only radical radiotherapy was given to patients in the radiotherapy group. Cetuximab was administered weekly until the end of radiotherapy. Patients intolerant to cetuximab or withdrawn the informed consent were excluded. On first administration, cetuximab was given i.v. at a dose of 400 mg/m for more than 120 min, with maximum drop rate of 5 mL/min. Afterwards, cetuximab was given i.v. per week at a dose of 250 mg/m for more than 60 min.

RESULTS

(1) The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) in the combination group was 77.42% and 93.54%, respectively, while the ORR and DCR in the radiotherapy group were only 45.61% and 70.97%, respectively (p<0.05). (2) The progression free survival (PFS) and the median overall survival (OS) in the combination group were 19.5 and 26.6 months, respectively, while in the radiotherapy group were only 13.8 and 18.9 months, respectively (p<0.05). (3) The incidence of rash in the combination group was significantly higher than that of the radiotherapy group (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in other adverse reactions between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Combination of cetuximab with radical radiotherapy is safe and effective for advanced local sinonasal SCC and improves the survival rate and the prognosis of patients with sinonasal SCC.